ProtoManZero
by Lord Furimar
Summary: A reinterpretation of the Mega Man and Mega Man X series in which Proto Man and Zero have the main roles. Different take on the entire story, with a lot of tie-ins.
1. Prologue

**Author039;s note: **I have taken free roam on this project, and as such, I have changed some things in the Mega Man/Mega Man X universe to better the story. I believe that an author of fan fiction should take the world as his own and change it as he wishes, and therefore I am doing precisely that. If you don039;t like it, then don039;t read my stuff. No one is forcing you to do so.**  
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First paragraph sources, in written order: 

First definition of 039;sentience039; The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition/Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company/Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Second definition of 039;sentience039; G. H. Lews, Webster039;s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.

Third definiton of 039;sentience039; quote by Earle, Webster039;s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.

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PROTOMAN**_ZERO_**  
**A Reinterpretation of the Mega Man and Mega Man X Series

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_Prologue_

Sentience. "Feeling as distinguished from perception or thought." "The quality or state of having sensation." "An example of harmonious action between the intelligence and the sentiency of the mind." All definitions of the word suggest that we can summarize in the form of 039;that which makes a thing alive.039; Yet, if machines were given the gift of sentience, would they then be alive?

The thought plagued Dr. Thomas Harold Light as he first touched upon the vaguest of thoughts that would lead to the creation of such sentient robots. As a scientist, and a moral one at that, he felt that any theory should be without major risk before experimentation began. Thus, he pondered day and night, but his mind wandered only in circles. Technology, he thought, has finally gone beyond our knowledge of the world. Believing deeply in himself, he knew that some time soon sentience could be born of metal and circuitry. This was a dangerous possibility since sentience itself was still significantly misunderstood by the limited perception of the human race. Older, wiser beings knew the secrets of this mystical force–but they cared little for the distant planet of Earth at that point in time, and so they kept watching.

Dr. Albert Winston Wily, Dr. Light039;s assistant, suggested that they begin experimentation even with the risks. His logic was that fundamental advancement never came from careful science. Dr. Light agreed, and so they set to working on their first step towards a sentient machine.

Several years passed, the doctors constantly tweaking and experimenting on their creations. Finally they had vaguely humanoid technology, though it was still programmed, unable to think entirely of its own accord. A small error stopped Dr. Light039;s theory of sentient circuitry dead in its tracks. He did, however, continue working on this theory, leaving most of the hand-work to his colleague. Dr. Wily didn039;t mind; after all, he wasn039;t in it for the science.

Wily planted chips in the robots to gain control of them remotely from his secret laboratory on the other side of the city. One night he finally went over the edge and activated them. The robots promptly destroyed most of Dr. Light039;s lab, then began their journey to a new master; however, one robot resisted Dr. Wily039;s command. Rock attempted to stop the other robots but wasn039;t strong enough. The others had great combat advantages over the weaker house robot.

Gutsman held Rock down as Cutman aimed his flying scissors for a head strike, but one of the other robots told him to stop. Cutman let the scissors rest at his side, and he looked up. "Proto Man? You can039;t control me. We have him!"

"Yeah," Gutsman added. His eyes darted nervously from Proto Man to Cutman. He couldn039;t decide which to follow. Finally, his programmning ruled out: he would follow the logically stronger of the two. But which was that?

Cutman readied his scissors to release at Proto Man, but suddenly a great shock came through his body and he collapsed to the floor. "I will do as you wish," he said to the red robot. Gutsman, having chosen his leader, dropped Rock to the floor and went to follow Proto.

Thus, the seven went northward to Dr. Wily039;s castle at the city039;s far edge: Gutsman, Cutman, Iceman, Fireman, Bombman, Elecman, and Proto Man, leading them.


	2. Chapter One: Rebellion

_Chapter One: Rebellion_

"Welcome, my children," the balding Dr. Wily greeted Proto Man and the other six robots as they entered Castle Wily's control room. "I have been expecting you." The doctor turned off a few monitors and rose from his chair to greet Proto Man.

"I don't believe I planted a chip on you," he said. "There was a slight chance it might not affect you. Why are you here?"

Proto Man stood at attention as he replied, "I came of my own will, doc. You humans call it jealousy: Light has ignored me and become obsessed with that stupid house-bot of his."

"Yes," Wily said, "Rock." Then he laughed. "That fool! He'll be defenseless against my master plan; with you, my dear Proto, I am invincible." He put his hand on Proto Man's shoulder. "Together, we shall rule the world!"

Proto Man nodded. "Our orders, doc?"

"The city," Wily replied, his voice crazed. "Destroy the city; leave none alive!"

An hour later, an explosion rocked a café. None were killed, but several were injured. A gust of cold wind followed suit, and the fleeing innocents were frozen in place; those that were off-balance fell to the floor and shattered. Gutsman entered the café, casually smashing the ice statues with his enormous fists.

Seconds after the first attack, the city's power failed, and all was dark. Then came light: a burst of white-hot fire that seared through a tower's foundation, causing it to collapsed to the ground. In another area of the city, heads were flying off of running bodies as a boomerang resembling scissors cut through their necks.

Proto Man watched the carnage from a safe distance, using the amplified vision provided by his sunglasses. He couldn't act until the job was successful, and so he waited. He had no fondness for mankind; he could care less that they were being slaughtered by the thousands. Some would survive. The robots would be stopped, he knew, because he was going to stop them.

When he decided it was time, he leapt off the cliff, flying downward two hundred feet, and then landed with his right palm flat on the ground, his left hand gripping the hilt of his sword sheathed to his back. He removed his sword from its sheath, it green plasma-blade illuminating his red plating. He checked the three shuriken packed in his side. They were mundane shuriken, not made of energy like his sword, but they still got their job done. Then he dashed off towards the city's power plant, where he would find his first target.

Elecman was just leaving through the gates when Proto Man arrived. "Mission accomplished, sir?" the former asked of Proto.

"No," the crimson robot replied. He grinned. "There has been a change of plans."

"New orders, sir?"

"Yes. Stand where you are for now, that is all we ask of you."

"Yes, sir." Elecman stood at attention where he was, staring straight into space, not allowing his eyes to follow Proto Man.

Proto made sure he was out of Elecman's sight, then leapt up to the fence and climbed over it silently. Then he moved toward Elecman, still silent, until the robot was in view. He threw a shuriken at the back of Elecman's neck, a perfect aim that should have fried him. Instead, a bolt of electricity shocked off of Elecman's neck and knocked the shuriken to the ground. Elecman turned around, and asked, "What was that?"

"Nothing," Proto quickly replied. "It was nothing. Return to your position."

Elecman turned around again, uneasily this time. A streak of green light slashed diagonally across his torso, and the halves fell to the ground.

Proto Man re-activated the city's power grid before heading into the streets after the remaining five robots. They had all reached the rendezvous point, and thus noted Elecman's absence. "Proto Man is gone as well," said Cutsman. "Do you think—?"

"That Elecman shocked Proto Man down?" Fireman finished. "It's possible; we all want to take Proto's place."   
Bombman, Cutsman, Gutsman, and Iceman all spoke their agreement. "But then wouldn't Elecman be here?" Bombman asked. "Maybe—"

His sentence was interrupted by the click of a shuriken slicing through his center. The split-second dragged on as everyone exchanged horrified glances, and then Bombman exploded, throwing the other four back in various directions. Cutsman's scissor-boomerang sliced itself into a wall, hanging him from a height by his head. Gutsman didn't fly far, and instantly rose to charge Proto Man. The latter dodged the charge, slicing his sword through Gutsman's arm as he passed. The disabled robot lost his balance and broke through a wall into a nearby building.

Fireman launched a streak of flame toward Proto Man's back, but the crimson robot sensed the heat and back-flipped over the shot and landed with his back still to Fireman. Iceman came out from the alley he had been thrown into and shot a bolt of ice at the crimson robot. Proto dodged the ice as another blast of fire came from behind him. The latter continued in its path to hit Iceman, who was thrown into a wall by the force of the shot. He fell to the ground in a burning slump of hot metal.

Proto Man charged Fireman, whom he then grabbed and threw toward the recovering Gutsman. As the two came into contact, the crimson robot threw a shuriken at Fireman's head, which flared into a white-hot fire that consumed Gutsman's other arm and singed the rest of him.

Fireman stood up to face Proto Man. "Enough!" he said. "What is it that you want?"

"Justice," said Proto Man. "And perhaps peace as an afterthought."

He then threw another shuriken. It lodged itself into the center of Fireman's face, and the robot fell. Satisfied, the crimson robot began walking toward Castle Wily.

Alone.


	3. Chapter Two: Confrontation

_Chapter 2: Confrontation_  


"Wily?" Proto Man's silhouette stood framed in the laboratory door.

The doctor stood and faced the crimson robot. "Yes, Proto Man? Is it done?"

"Yes, Wily," Proto man said with a grin. "It is done. You are finished."

Two shurikens through the air and the doctor was pinned against the wall, his feet dangling; Proto stood with his sword steady, inches from the man's neck, emitting a deep, blood-lusting hum. Wily said nothing. He feared the robot all the more for having studied it so closely.

Proto Man pulled his sword back and sheathed it over his shoulder. Turning his back to Wily, he began to walk away, but stopped at the door. "There is a question on your tongue, old man. I'd suggest you let it roll if you'd like to speak anything more in your lifetime."

"Proto Man," said Wily, in his slow voice, "I failed to control you?"

"No," the robot replied. He turned to face the door, his head high. "I am independent." He stepped out of the lab then, leaving the doctor alone, hanging on the wall by his coat.


End file.
